Chapter 1232: Butterfly Wings
Chapter 1232: Butterfly Wings
"Business with the Malfoys has been tough lately."
Mundungus Fletcher glumly closed his briefcase as he surveyed the desolate Diagon Alley. He bade farewell to a few fellow traders and prepared to pack up and head home.
Ever since the Ministry of Magic implemented the blasted Protection Policy, numerous employees' families had taken refuge in the shelters, rendering Diagon Alley even more desolate than before. Hardly any witches or wizards could be spotted strolling through the alley.
Even the number of street vendors had diminished as there was barely any business to be had.
Mundungus was one of the victims of this change.
When he had first heard that many Ministry employees planned to hide in the shelters, Mundungus was delighted. However, after visiting several families who had relocated to the Ministry shelters, his excitement faded. All he found were worthless trinkets and junk, a waste of his precious time.
Moreover, since that incident, fewer people frequented Diagon Alley, making business even worse.
He had been racking his brains lately to figure out other ways to make money.
He wondered how the Weasley twins were doing and if they still needed his help with smuggling other goods.
As Mundungus pondered his money-making options, he froze in the act of opening his door. His eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Someone had broken into his home.
At least, Mundungus didn't recall subscribing to the Prophet, but he often picked up a copy from the street or a pub.
His briefcase clattered to the floor with a loud "thump."
Ignoring the fallen case, Mundungus drew out his wand, scanning his surroundings alertly. After ensuring no one else was present, he immediately checked on his stash of Galleons.
Only when he confirmed that his Galleons were untouched did Mundungus heave a sigh of relief and plop down into a chair.
Who could it be?
How did they get in?
What were they after?
There were no signs of tampering in the house, so it was unlikely to be a fellow thief.
Mundungus was perplexed. As his gaze inadvertently swept over the table, he seemed to recall something. He reached out as if to pick up the newspaper but retracted his hand.
He was certain that there hadn't been a newspaper on the table before he left.
Something was amiss with it.
Mundungus waved his wand lightly over the newspaper and was astonished to find a Galleon coin placed beneath it.
"Now, what's this…?"
He was somewhat baffled by the intruder's intentions.
After ascertaining that the newspaper and the Galleon were harmless, Mundungus swiftly snatched the coin and examined it closely, seemingly to verify its authenticity.
Satisfied that the Galleon was genuine, he turned his attention to the newspaper on the table. It was that day's issue of the Prophet, which he had already perused while setting up his stall earlier.
As he reached for the paper, the letters on it began to rearrange rapidly, causing him to loosen his grip in surprise, and the newspaper fell to the floor once more.
"Bloody hell," Mundungus muttered, lighting the tip of his wand to try and make sense of the situation.
When he looked down, he was astonished to find a message appearing on the newspaper:
"We require more useful information. We will pay in Galleons as compensation for your assistance in gathering intelligence, but do not attempt to deceive us with fabricated news unless you wish to forgo this long-term business opportunity. —GW (Poisonous Tentacle)"
Mundungus was stunned as he read the message left on the newspaper.
He picked up the paper from the floor, placed it on the table, and studied it carefully before concluding that the sender must be an acquaintance.
The style and tone were familiar.
He had a hunch about who had left this message for him.
Although he couldn't immediately decipher the name abbreviation, the additional hint of "Poisonous Tentacle" made it easier to guess.
Recently, the only people associated with Poisonous Tentacle were the Weasley twins, to whom he had sold the seeds for the poisonous plant. He had made a tidy profit from that transaction.
Indeed, the English abbreviation for George Weasley, one of the mischievous twins, was GW.
Speaking of the twins, they had become the objects of envy and jealousy for countless people. Combined with the tone of this message, it was likely that Albert Anderson had instructed the twins to reach out to him. Only that generous fellow would be willing to purchase information with Galleons.
In that instant, Mundungus set aside his other thoughts. Having dealt with Albert on numerous occasions, he knew that the clever lad was not easily fooled. Moreover, if he tried to deceive Albert, he might miss out on future opportunities like this.
While he did want to earn money from Albert, deep down, he was a little afraid of the boy.
At some point, Albert had begun to resemble Dumbledore—he had become just as wise and willing to accommodate others. The idea of buying information with Galleons was something only Dumbledore would do, but Albert was ruthless in his methods.
Mundungus had heard about certain incidents—how Death Eaters and dark wizards had met gruesome ends because they had caused trouble at Albert's wedding. One by one, they were hunted down and killed through the Ministry, and it was all perfectly legal.
Albert was a highly vengeful individual.
He was not someone to be crossed.
Therefore, one had to be extremely cautious when dealing with him.
Initially, Mundungus had intended to copy and pass off some information to the Order of the Phoenix as a token gesture.
Well, it seemed that wouldn't suffice anymore.
The Weasley twins also had connections with the Order, and if Albert found out that he was being deceived, he might not pay up. Although Mundungus didn't know how many Galleons Albert would offer, he… Mundungus gently rubbed the Galleon in his hand, realizing that he had to add some extra tidbits to make Albert feel that he was doing his best to gather intelligence.
No, he should say that he had already tried his best.
At the very least, he needed to demonstrate a serious attitude.
Yes, he would include some rumors he had overheard in pubs, even though they might not be entirely accurate. As for discerning the truth, well, that wasn't his problem.
That was settled, then.
That night, Mundungus prepared a lengthy parchment, and under the cover of darkness, he delivered the envelope to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, handing it over to Sirius Black.
Why not give it to Fred, George, or Albert directly?
Mundungus had no idea where they were hiding, but he knew the Order would have a way to contact them.
"What's this?"
Sirius picked up the thick envelope, raising an eyebrow at Mundungus.
To be frank, many members of the Order didn't think highly of this sneaky individual.
While he was useful, he was not well-liked. No one enjoyed associating with a thief.
"It's what Albert requested. Inform the Weasley twins to come and collect it soon, or it'll lose its value," Mundungus advised.
"Something Albert requested?"
Sirius fixed Mundungus with a stare for a moment, seemingly catching on to what this was about.
"The letter contains some recent news that he asked me to gather. Anyway, I've done my part, so remind them to settle the remaining payment," Mundungus said, curious to see how many Galleons this information would earn him and whether he should continue with this endeavor.
Not long after, Mundungus' letter arrived on Albert's desk via the house-elf, Dobby.
Mundungus' efficiency caused Albert to frown, suspecting that he was fabricating some messages to appease him.
The letter was divided into three parts: intelligence for the Order of the Phoenix, intelligence about Albert himself, and privately obtained intelligence.
It certainly looked like the real deal, very thorough, as if he was genuinely trying to earn that money.
Albert quickly scanned through the letter, narrowing his eyes as he picked out a few seemingly useful pieces of information.
Although the bounty on Albert Anderson had been officially called off, everyone privately knew that anyone who managed to take him down would still receive a hefty reward from the Malfoy family.
A large group of wizards who had originally sided with Voldemort hastily left Britain.
Two very suspicious strangers were offering high prices for a Felix Felicis potion in the black market. Any fraudsters who tried to sell them fake potions seemed to have disappeared, possibly dead.
The International Confederation of Wizards' Aurors were in a dispute with the British Ministry of Magic and were expected to leave Britain soon.
...
There were a total of eleven similar useful pieces of information, and after carefully vetting them, Albert's gaze lingered on the intelligence related to the Felix Felicis potion.
The Ministry, the Order of Phoenix? No, they wouldn't need to buy it from the black market. That would likely be Death Eaters, then, and making the fraudsters vanish without a trace seemed like their style.
As for the other unrelated fellows, the probability was low.
Moreover, George had mentioned before that Bellatrix had been searching for Potion Masters, and that Draco Malfoy was not only suffering under the Cruciatus Curse but had also been subjected to a strong Obliviate spell.
Bellatrix scouring the earth for Potion Masters was most likely for the Felix Felicis potion.
If this information was true, it certainly wasn't good news.
Once the Death Eaters got their hands on the Felix Felicis potion, things could take a very undesirable turn, indicating that the level of danger they posed would increase significantly, to the point where even Albert would have to be extra cautious.
Albert was all too aware of the effects of the Felix Felicis potion on Death Eaters, and it could even be more impactful than the Order of the Phoenix or the Ministry Aurors, as Death Eaters practiced dark magic. If they used the potion to compensate for their shortcomings, that dark magic would become incredibly lethal.
The ones looking for the potion were most likely Bellatrix, disguised, and the other was probably Narcissa Malfoy.
After all, the two of them were quite wealthy, so offering high prices for the potion wouldn't be unusual, and they could easily take it by force if needed.
That madwoman intended to use the Felix Felicis potion against him?
As for Narcissa Malfoy wanting the potion, it was undoubtedly for her son, Draco Malfoy, to ensure his survival in the plot to murder Dumbledore.
The only fortunate thing was that the Felix Felicis potion was challenging to obtain, and even if Snape brewed it right now, it would be too late.
Currently, aside from Bellatrix's actions involving Claire and Angelina, which were somewhat mysterious, everything else seemed to fit together.
Albert picked up a crystal ball from the bookshelf and began to scry to locate Bellatrix.
He would never allow the Death Eaters to get their hands on the Felix Felicis potion; otherwise, the entire situation could spiral out of control.
Did they go abroad?
That made sense. It would be more likely to find the potion in Europe, and it would be safer, too.
After all, the Wizarding War was confined to Britain and had not spread to other parts of Europe.
Staring at the hand holding the golden potion within the crystal ball, Albert fell into a brief silence.
He reached out and gently touched the crystal ball, clearly seeing the owner of that hand – Narcissa Malfoy.
As expected, it was her.
With Bellatrix's insane way of thinking, she probably wouldn't go abroad to search for the potion.
In the end, they managed to get their hands on the Felix Felicis potion, which wasn't entirely unexpected by Albert.
Although the potion was precious, one could still obtain it with enough Galleons, whether from the black market or a Potion Master. Moreover, given the Death Eaters' modus operandi, they wouldn't hesitate to steal it if needed.
As expected, the future would likely change, especially with Albert being the butterfly flapping its wings and causing a storm.
Albert shifted his gaze from the crystal ball and reached for the two-way mirror on the adjacent shelf to contact Dumbledore.
"What's the matter?"
Far away in his office at Hogwarts, Dumbledore was surprised to receive Albert's communication via the two-way mirror, as he was well aware that Albert only initiated contact when something important came up.
"Do you remember what we discussed about Damocles?" Albert suddenly asked.
"I visited Mr. Dawlish, but I couldn't extract the forgotten memories from his mind. Doing so might have destroyed him completely," Dumbledore said, as if guessing what Albert was getting at.
"They're looking for Potion Masters, or more specifically, the Death Eaters are after the Felix Felicis potion. If Snape mentioned this to you," Albert prompted.
"You think they've gotten their hands on it."
"Yes, I prophesied it," Albert reminded him. "You're indeed powerful, but a group of Death Eaters boosted by the Felix Felicis potion is no small matter."
"Thank you for the warning, but the potion isn't all-powerful. Moreover, it's quite rare, the success rate of brewing it is low, and it takes half a year. Even if the Death Eaters obtain the Felix Felicis potion, the quantity can't be much," Dumbledore reasoned.
"No, I think you might have misunderstood me," Albert shook his head. "If the Death Eaters acquire the Felix Felicis potion, the future may change, especially your plan."
After seeing Narcissa Malfoy obtain the potion in the crystal ball, Albert had a hunch about this.
"It doesn't make much difference," Dumbledore said calmly. "And, don't you exist as well?"
"Should I thank you for your confidence in me?" Albert said half-jokingly.
"You got what you wanted, so stop complaining," Dumbledore whispered.
"What about the wand?" Albert suddenly asked. "Are you sure you've made arrangements for it? I really don't want that thing to fall into Voldemort's hands."
"How about I give it to you? I think you can possess it," Dumbledore suggested with a smile.
"Never mind, you know I don't need that thing," Albert shook his head. "I suggest you just destroy it. That way, there definitely won't be any trouble."
"Rest assured, I will put it in the hands of someone suitable," Dumbledore assured him.
"Draco Malfoy?"
Albert directly voiced Dumbledore's decision, furrowing his brows as he asked, "Are you sure your plan will succeed?"
"Don't worry, I'll handle it."
Dumbledore shifted his gaze from the two-way mirror and looked at the wand sitting next to him. "I promise, it won't become your problem."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
